Sports Law

With significant industry experience, Miller Monroe & Plyler’s sports law team provides effective representation, advocacy, and counsel to current and former athletes as well as institutions and businesses in the sports industry.  Miller Monroe & Plyler provides a variety of services, both legal and commercial, related to each client’s specifics needs and objectives.

Litigation Work

Miller Monroe & Plyler has represented numerous clients in sports law litigation, ranging from current student-athletes to large corporations.  Most recently, the MMP team’s work includes the federal antitrust class action against the NCAA related to its long-held restrictions on student-athletes’ acceptance of prize money earned in non-NCAA competitions—Brantmeier v. NCAA.  Our team has extensive experience appearing before North Carolina state and federal courts in complex litigation matters, and we have proven success in helping clients navigate the often daunting and rigorous litigation process.

Name, Image, and Likeness

Under recent changes to NCAA regulations and the governance of college athletics, student-athletes are permitted to profit from their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) right without jeopardizing their collegiate eligibility.  The expansion of NIL represents a massive reallocation of wealth and offers a meaningful avenue to advance the lives and careers of student-athletes and their families.  With an expertise in collegiate athletics issues, our team provides student-athletes and third-party organizations with the resources and support necessary to navigate the new age of NIL.

Our Team

Alongside our in-house lawyers, Joel Lulla is Of Counsel to our sports law practice.  Joel has been engaged in the sports media industry for over 30 years, heading ABC Sports’ Department of Legal and Business Affairs, serving as lead counsel for IMG’s New York office, and working as an independent consultant.  Joel has served a number of clients in the collegiate athletics space, including the Big 12, WAC, Sun Belt, University of Texas Athletic Department, and Boise State University.

Joel currently teaches at the University of Texas at Austin in the Moody College and Communication and School of Law.  He has appeared on numerous sports broadcasting panels and been featured as a sports media expert by publications such as The New York Times, ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, Sports Business Daily, and Sports Business Journal. With North Carolina connections, Joel graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

MMP in the Media

Why Miller Monroe & Plyler?

As a small firm made up of former athletes, we understand the business of sports.  Since we are bound by the highest professional and ethical standards, you can count on our firm to keep your interests first and deliver intelligent, honest guidance in an industry often plagued by opportunists.  If you choose Miller Monroe & Plyler to protect and guide you, we offer you big firm skills delivered through high-character attorneys right here in your back yard.